Fujifilm’s primary US manufacturing and distribution complex, located in Greenwood, will serve as home to a new, state-of-the-art digital print lab. The company will soon begin modification of facilities at its 500-acre Greenwood campus to accommodate what is already the largest photo products company in the country. Officials says the new operation will bring up to 185 full-time jobs. [Read more...]
PAYGO passes US House
July 22, 2009 By Leave a Comment
The US House of Representatives Wednesday passed the “pay-as-you-go” (or PAYGO) plan by a bipartisan vote of 265-166. It’s legislation championed by House Budget Committee Chairman John Spratt of South Carolina to strengthen fiscal discipline. “By themselves budget process rules cannot convert deficits into surpluses, but as in the 1990′s they can play a vital role.”Spratt says it controls over-spending and cuts to new tax revenue. “Statutory PAYGO works by reigning both new entitlement spending and new tax cuts. Both tend to be long lasting, they’re easy to pass and hard to repeal, and by insisting on offsets and deficit neutrality for these new policies, PAYGO buffers the bottom line.”
PAYGO requires that new legislation affecting mandatory spending or tax revenue be “budget neutral,” or not increase the deficit. The new statutory PAYGO rule would be enforced through automatic, across-the-board spending cuts.
The bill requires the Office of Management and Budget to maintain a PAYGO ledger and to determine at the end of each year whether spending cuts are needed. “Its terms are complex but at its core it’s a common sense rule that everybody can understand, when you are in deficit don’t make it worse. When you want to spend a dollar, save a dollar. Everyone can understand the common sense logic of this bill.” [Read more...]
Graham will vote for Sotomayor
July 22, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said Wednesday that he definitely will vote for Sonia Sotomayor for the US Supreme Court. That’s a break from his party’s conservative leaders, who opposed President Barack Obama’s pick.
Graham had hinted during Sotomayor’s confirmation hearings that he might back the 55-year-old judge who would be the nation’s first Hispanic on the high court.
Graham says she is well-qualified and has a mainstream record on votes, even though she made some past statements related to race and gender out of the courtroom.
Graham said the path of least resistance for him personally was to vote against Sotomayor, since he, a Republican, is in the minority party. But he felt compelled to vote yes, as the right vote for himself and for the country. “We’re talking about one of the most qualified people to be considered for the Supreme Court in decades. She has 17 years judicial experience. I’ve looked at her record closely and I believe that she follows precident.” [Read more...]
Stimulus funds fueling airport projects in Horry County
July 22, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Stimulus dollars are trickling into the various counties around the state for a variety of projects. In one of the fastest growing counties in the nation, Horry County, $4.3 million in stimulus dollars is going toward improving air service in the region. Lauren Morris is the Marketing Manager for the Horry County Department of Airports. Morris says the county was ready with two significant projects when the stimulus funds were made available.”We received a significant portion of the South Carolina Aeronautics Division stimulus funds with the lion’s share going to Horry County just because our projects were really ready to go. So we had the relighting project at Grand Strand and then we’re also doing some ramp rehabilitation at Myrtle Beach International Airport.”
Morris says Myrtle Beach International Airport received $3 million for its ramp rehabilitation project, while the Grand Strand Airport in North Myrtle Beach received $1.3 million for its relighting project.
Morris says the ramp rehabilitation at Myrtle Beach International is literally laying the foundation and setting the tone for future expansion of the airport. “We’re in the planning stages for an expansion so having some of the ramp work completed goes a long way to our ultimate goal to expand our commericial passenger terminal and having the updated airfield improvements to go along with it.
Morris says despite the present state of the economy, Horry County is sustaining its momentum for economic growth as a tourist attraction as well as an attractive place for permanent residence. “Myrtle Beach is a unique market. We’re a tourist destination but were also one of the fastest growing counties in the country from a residence perspective. There is a lot of dynamism here and infrastructure and access is a significant part to it.”
The population of Horry County in 1990 was a little over 144-thousand, when the next census is taken in 2010 many observers believe the county’s population will be well over 230-thousand.
Morris says at a time when quite a few airports around the country are hurting because of the economy, Myrtle Beach International continues to show its potential for growth now and into the future. “Allegiant Air recently came into the market with two new markets Huntington, West Virginia and Allentown, Pennsylvania and Spirit Air just added a daily nonstop to Chicago as well so it’s exciting for us and we feel pretty fortunate and it’s something we continue to work on.”
Morris says air travel picks up to area during the peak tourist season. The airport now has 24 direct flight markets.
Concealed weapons amendment voted down
July 22, 2009 By Leave a Comment
A measure was shot down by the Senate today that would give individuals with concealed weapons permits in one state the right to cross into another state with a concealed weapon. The measure needed 60 votes to pass but lost by a vote of 58-39. It is a rare defeat for guns rights advocates.
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) says that the right to self-defense does not stop at state lines and that a person who has been issued a concealed weapons permit in one state should be able to carry a concealed weapon into another state that also issues concealed weapons permits as long as they adhere to that state’s gun laws. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) disagreed saying that some states have weaker laws to issuing concealed weapons permits. He says someone with a violent misdemeanor conviction in Alaska can get a permit in that state but would not qualify for a permit in New York. According to Schumer, this measure would force his state to abide by another state’s weaker permit requirements.
Graham’s position is that it is a person’s Second Amendment right to cross state lines with a concealed weapon. Schumer contends that it is a state’s right to decide who can carry a concealed weapon within its borders.
